girl on girl

agatha christie is just an amazing profiler of people. even if you don't like murder mysteries, she is the best author i've read as a study of people.

in her novel, the mysterious mr. quin is the following interchange, which i've truncated slightly in the sake of interest & relevance:

setting: a mr. satterwaite is in monte carlo, and meets a young american man. he is enamored with an older countess with stories of intrigue and a pearl necklace from the king of bosnia. a plain-jane sight-seeing-bound american, in his traveling group is enamored with him.

young man, speaking about the countess: "it's an extraordinary thing, but she's never found a woman who would be a real friend to her. women have been against her all her life."

mr. satterwaite: "probably."

young man: "don't you think it's a scandalous thing?"

mr. satterwaite: "no. i don't think that i do. women have got their own standards, you know. it's no good our mixing ourselves up in their affairs. they must run their own show."

young man: "it's one of the worst things in the world today, the unkindness of woman to woman. you know elizabeth margin? now she agrees with me in theory absolutely....but the moment it comes to a practical test, why she's as bad as any of them. got a real down on the countess without knowing a darned thing about her, and won't listen when i try to tell her things. it's all wrong, mr. satterwaite. i believe in democracy -- and -- what's that but brotherhood between men and sisterhood between women?"

..."now the countess, on the other hand, admires elizabeth immensely and thinks her charming in every way. now what does that show?"

mr. satterwaite: "it shows that the countess has lived a considerable longer time than miss martin has."